And how it could be a model for building future ones
Five years ago to this day, the Syracuse Orange released their complete football schedule for the upcoming fall. It was supposed to be the first season of fans under the renovated Dome, with optimism still relatively high from finishing ranked two seasons ago.
Then COVID happened, the ACC adopted a revised “conference + Notre Dame only” football calendar, and Syracuse fans collectively decided to forget the damage caused that season.
This isn’t a “what if” piece about if everything was normal that fall, but rather an analysis of the schedule that was originally put together. I personally think it was structured better than other recent ones and want to explain why that is and how SU could apply that thinking to future campaigns.
The Original 2020 Slate:
- 9/4 at BC (Friday)
- 9/12 at Rutgers
- 9/19 vs Colgate
- 9/26 at Western Michigan
- 10/3 vs Louisville
- Bye
- 10/17 vs Liberty
- 10/24 at Clemson
- 10/31 vs Georgia Tech
- 11/7 at Wake Forest
- 11/14 vs NC State
- 11/19 vs Florida State (Thursday)
- 11/28 at Pitt
Excluding the fact that there were only six home games (a painfully common problem in Cuseland), there’s a lot to this format that benefits Syracuse.
First, starting the season off on the road. Yes, it was only a 50/50 shot of being scheduled as one in conference, but the point stands. Outside of students being fresh to campus, it’s a tough sell – by September, most CNYers are enjoying the few remaining nice days left, and on a long Labor Day weekend, it means heading out of town to see relatives or the outdoors, or heading further up the highway to the NY State Fairgrounds. It’s one of the few times of year where the Dome has serious competition for people’s time.
A proper schedule would have seven home games, so for argument’s sake let’s flip Rutgers to one in Week 2. Just like they would actually do in 2021, SU has the Dome opener against a semi-regional Power opponent. There will never be a ton of interest for an FCS opponent (unless you pair Family Weekend or Orange Central with it), so having it be a follow up to either your toughest non-conference game or an ACC matchup is the best bet. At least that way you break up the bigger challenges.
Next up, road G6 game. Probably the one bit I’d change, as this is what I’d like the opening week to be – a bit of a softie to get the team settled in. If they instead had a P4 road game, this is a fine slot. As it stands here, SU doesn’t overdue their welcome in September and actually spaces home games out a bit, so I still consider it a plus.
It’s followed by a home conference game before the bye… no complaints there. And for a single-bye calendar, anywhere from Weeks 6-8 is as good as it gets.
They exit the time off with another home game, this time against another G6 team. I was never a fan of the years SU frontloaded all the out-of-conference and for all the crap people seem to give BIG or SEC schools playing fodder later in the year, it helps with player conditioning. Since you can actually control that as opposed to the conference slate, why not build in that advantage? It’s rare to schedule so late like they did with UConn this past season (and that’s really because it was conference-less UConn), but around halfway through is perfectly doable.
It’s conference games the rest of the way, which SU has minimal control over, but there are two other things for me to point out.
First, the inclusion of OCTOBER HOME GAMES. What a novel concept. There is no world where being away from your fans for a whole month and playing three road games is a good idea. Quit leaving Orange Nation out in the figurative cold and let them brave the actual cold if needed to get inside the Dome.
Second, not having consecutive home games to end the campaign. This is the way it should be for every team in college football. Students go home for Thanksgiving break – it happens with even the absolute best programs in the country. As such, no school should be doubly punished for it.
Some other notes:
- If SU doesn’t schedule a G6 road game, then a conference road game or FCS/G6 home game are best for Week 1.
- In years where Notre Dame is on the calendar due to the ACC scheduling agreement, there’s no need to schedule another P4. These are games to boost your record, not hinder it. (Really what I’m saying is only one P4 in the non-con until there’s a national rule about it.)
This is an opinion piece, so of course I’d also like to hear yours. What are your thoughts on how a Syracuse football schedule should be constructed? Agree/disagree with any of the points I made?